THERE was no shortage of talent on show at the weekend, with seven Group 1 races across both sides of the Irish Sea writes Page Fuller.

Scorthy Champ won the Vincent O’Brien National Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday, turning the tables on his Futurity Stakes conqueror, Henri Matisse. I think this was an exceptional performance from the winner and has sent us a firm message not to underestimate him moving forward.

Stride Data has given us a good idea here of why Scorthy Champ managed to turn the tables. He caught the eye in the Futurity Stakes in August, when running green in the early stages and staying on strongly to the line. That day, they went very steadily to start with and sprinted home. The complete opposite to the race last weekend.

In both races, Scorthy Champ had a larger average stride and lower average stride frequency than Henri Matisse, suggesting this test of stamina over this trip was better suited to him. When a horse has a higher stride frequency, they tend to have a sharper turn of foot, where they are able to rapidly turn over their stride to accelerate quickly. This is how Henri Matisse won the Futurity Stakes.

The stronger pace of the Vincent O’Brien Stakes at the weekend blunted this speed and suited Scorthy Champ’s massive average stride length of 7.82m. I would be surprised if Scorthy Champ didn’t continue to make the most of this in next year’s showpieces.